The clinical trial involved around 18000 individuals from different countries in the corners of the globe. The subjects had a healthy level of cholesterol. The LDL or bad cholesterol levels were on average hitting 108 while HDL or good cholesterol was at 49.

What is common among the subjects were the high levels of hs-CRP or high sensitivity C-reactive protein that is an indicator of inflammation in the body. This marker is indicative or coronary heart disease which is one the top killers in the world.

Upon evaluation of the healthy subjects, none of them qualify for prescription of statins. They were asked to take the drug Rosuvastatin in a 20mg dose or a placebo drug.

The study was scheduled to run for five years but the study was put into a halt after less than 2 years when the study met endpoints set by an oversight committee.

The subjects who took the Crestor, the statin (or cholesterol lowering drug they used), significantly reduced their risk for strokes, heart attacks, and death by 44%. The hs-CRP levels were lowered to 37%. The levels of bad cholesterol also dropped by 50%. The over all death was 20% lower than the placebo group.

Health experts view the results as a very significant factor in lowering the risk for cardiac problems in a very fast pace.

Statistics show that around 36 million Americans are qualified to take statins. The study may add around 10 million more people to protect them from heart problems.